Any tips for surviving the holidays?

GaiaGirl1992

It's that time of year again: halloween, thanksgiving, and christmas! not to mention others, if you're not the traditional american atheist!

I'm they type of person who says "I'll just eat one piece/serving/'slice", then two hours later, "I'll just eat one piece/serving/slice." Any tips to surviving the binge?

here's some of mine:
--eat half a piece or serving--
--make your own, and make it low fat/sugar/carb etc--
--take a small bite of someone else's portion, and see if you truly want it--
--if you truly want something, make allowances for it! go to the gym the day before/after and sweat your bum off!--

anything else I missed??

ajanmillie

Great tips. I do not want to undo my hard work because of holiday gettogethers.

Dtrmnd86

I'm going to get laughed at by my family, but I'm actually thinking of bringing my portion plate and possibly measuring cups lol. My family is big on food (3 servings and a million desserts). I've come so far I'm not going to give in!! Oh, and workout, workout, workout. This way if I want to have a little extra, I can without feeling guilty. I've also searched healthier versions of the foods I make. If they don't like healthy, well then they don't need to eat any lol

shawnscott5

Everything is fine in moderation. Instead of grabbing a regular size plate, use a salad plate. It tricks your mind.

Tonnina

Halloween: Buy candy you don't really care for to give out OR don't give out candy at all... give out those lil mini bags of popcorn or toys or something.
Thanksgiving: Go easy on EVERYTHING, including pies!! Have half a spoonful of your favorites, (mashed taters, and green bean casserole for me) and split a pie piece with someone. Don't over indulge and offer to go for a walk with those who don't wanna watch footieball.
Christmas: Again, Take it easy. Peppermint candy canes aren't bad, but having a whole box of them in one sitting is! Have ONE Christmas cookie a-night or day. ONE! No matter how awesome they are. For the big day (or nights, if you have a Christmas eve dinner and a Christmas dinner) follow the rules for Thanksgiving. Only take half a spoon of what you really want and don't over eat. Offer to, again, go for a walk, even if it's cooler outside. Your body will burn more calories because it wants to stay warm.

Alcohol during the holidays: If you must drink, try to keep it to ONE glass a night then switch to water. I am a HUGE fan of egg nog but not the light eggnog. my solution is Soy nog. Silk makes an excellent soy nog, it's thick and creamy and tastes just like the real thing. I've never had the alcoholic version but I figured I'd throw this in here as well.

If you do end up going over, remember that there is the option of working out before a big dinner or the next day. Don't over indulge everyday or you will lose everything you've worked so hard for all year!!

Lucylaser

I am a traditional athiest. But I don't think you have to be a religion to enjoy halloween or thanksgiving.

last year i got food poisoning thanksgiving night. it was the first time i lost 10 lbs over thanksgiving weekend. i do not recommend this. this is not a tip.



For real though, I let myself have the things that I like and skip the things I am so so on. You don't have to have everything. I also volunteer to make a lot of the sides so I know what is in them. I also wear pants that are already a bit snug, no sweat pants! SO I can feel when things get a bit more snug.

Blackthorne99

Yes - pre-load your body with protein before you approach a situation where there will be candy or other high sugar/high carb treats. You'll be less likely to have some if your body isn't starving for energy.

Secondly - make sure that having 'more' requires effort. If the candy dish is on the other side of the room, you're less likely to walk over there. But if it's RIGHT NEXT TO YOU, it's easy to have 5 or 6 when you meant to have 1 or 2, and not even *realize* it.

Make sure that whatever YOU take to a get together is healthy for you. You can add protein to pumpkin pies. You can make things with less or no sugar. You can substitute apple sauce for oil if you're going low-fat. For added moisture, use MEDIUM eggs rather than LARGE or XL eggs, and then use 1 more egg than called for.

Skip anything that you can get year round. They may only sell snack-size Snickers at Hallowe'en, but it's not like you couldn't buy a Snickers bar in March. Be very picky about what you have. Make the experience truly 'an experience'.

puggleperson

bump... I know I will be needing some holiday encouragement!

BigDaddyBRC

It's that time of year again: halloween, thanksgiving, and christmas! not to mention others, if you're not the traditional american atheist!

I'm they type of person who says "I'll just eat one piece/serving/'slice", then two hours later, "I'll just eat one piece/serving/slice." Any tips to surviving the binge?

here's some of mine:
--eat half a piece or serving--
--make your own, and make it low fat/sugar/carb etc--
--take a small bite of someone else's portion, and see if you truly want it--
--if you truly want something, make allowances for it! go to the gym the day before/after and sweat your bum off!--

anything else I missed??

If you're Athiest...why are you celebrating Christmas? Never have understood this one...

GaiaGirl1992

It's that time of year again: halloween, thanksgiving, and christmas! not to mention others, if you're not the traditional american atheist!

I'm they type of person who says "I'll just eat one piece/serving/'slice", then two hours later, "I'll just eat one piece/serving/slice." Any tips to surviving the binge?

here's some of mine:
--eat half a piece or serving--
--make your own, and make it low fat/sugar/carb etc--
--take a small bite of someone else's portion, and see if you truly want it--
--if you truly want something, make allowances for it! go to the gym the day before/after and sweat your bum off!--

anything else I missed??

If you're Athiest...why are you celebrating Christmas? Never have understood this one...

not christmas per se, just gathering the family and exchanging gifts and food and stories ^^

efwolfcub

I've pretty much figured I'm going to binge for thanksgiving - I think I can behave for christmas and halloween. But for thanksgiving, I'm going to be at my parents (don't get to see them very often) and want to just enjoy the day. I figure I'll plan on a nice long walk that day or the next, and burn up as much as I can. But for the thanksgiving feast itself, I'm planning on going over, and I'm okay with that (will eat good the rest of the weekend, and will get lots of walking in). I'm not even going to try and calculate the calories for the day. I know it will be over, and I accept that

Remember, the key to keeping the weight off is accepting that this has to become your way of life - do you want to measure out gravy, mashed potatoes, etc on a scale every holiday? or do you want to be able to spend time with your family, enjoy the day, and know that you can make it up later. and know that you WILL make it up later. I'll choose the second option, knowing that I'm not going to do that every day.

NicoWoodruff

What's worked for me in the past with holidays is to just expect it to be harder than usual and plan for working to *maintain* during that time rather than *lose* weight.

I find it challenging during Thanksgiving/Christmas/Yule/New Years especially.. I'm lucky if I can get in my workout every other day rather than every day. But even every other day or twice a week or so helps a great deal.

I really try to focus on portion control with the big family meals. I get one well proportioned plate (half proteins half carbs) and then back for seconds if I want.. but *not* thirds and stop eating 3 to 4 hours before bed.

I go very light on the carb loaded dessert table especially if I had seconds on the main meal.

Over the years I've gone from gaining around 5+ pounds every year at the holiday to just maintaining my weight that set of weeks with no loss or gain.. which is a *lot* better.


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